


Doubt Everything

by Luinlothana



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Chloe thinks logically, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mazikeen is a good friend, Protective Chloe Decker, Protective Mazikeen (Lucifer TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25428334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luinlothana/pseuds/Luinlothana
Summary: Any self-respecting cop would start getting suspicious when being handed nicely wrapped book-full of evidence. And while having seen the face of the Devil himself might be enough to shake anyone into a bit of panic, Chloe Decker had seen enough weird things in her career (usually courtesy of said Devil) to retain a shred of rational mind. A story exploring alternative events starting from the beginning of S4.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 23
Kudos: 165





	Doubt Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Any intellectual property attached to the story below belongs to parties other than the humble author of the story in question. Which might be rather obvious when one considers the etymology of the word fanfiction. No profit is being derived from the following work and the purposes for its creation are purely recreational. 
> 
> A/N: It should probably be obvious, but just in case, I’d like to emphasise that the views and beliefs presented by the characters are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the author. Similarly any knowledge the characters do or do not possess might not directly correspond to that of the author.
> 
> A/N2: Familiarity with episodes 1-3 of Season 4 might be necessary to follow the story as I am focusing on the interaction relevant to the alternative storyline, with a number of events happening in the background, instead of describing scenes we’ve already seen on the screen.
> 
> Warning! You are entering unbetaed territory. Proceed with caution.

Doubt Everything

" _Doubt thou the stars are fire;_

_Doubt that the sun doth move;_

_Doubt truth to be a liar;_

_But never doubt I love."_

― William Shakespeare

Chloe wasn't entirely sure if her eyes were watering in response to seeing pages upon pages of evidence of Lucifer's connections to the most tragic events in the human history or if that was her emotional reaction to the image of him she had built in her head chipping away, piece by piece with every page.

She didn't rightfully know what she was hoping to find but being handed this…

She blinked when what she was doing dawned on her with a sudden clarity. This wasn't a collection of mounting circumstantial evidence. This was an evidence plant. But it was an evidence plant containing a disturbing amount of up-to-date data provided by what effectively constituted multinational organisation with agencies all over the world.

She hastily closed the book and threw it into her bag, leaving the library.

III

By the time she reached their hotel room to find Trixie sleeping on the bed, fully clothed, with some cartoon playing on the TV, she was in the full detective mode.

Was there anyone she could trust? As far as she knew she was the only human with no church connections to know about Lucifer. Contacting _him_ right now was out of the question even if she thought she had some proof that she could trust him, which she didn't. Was there someone—

She blinked. While it seemed completely counter-intuitive, there _was_ someone. Someone who knew _exactly_ who and what Lucifer was and who was likely to have the skills needed in the situation. Someone who didn't have enough impulse control to believe in any delayed gratification, meaning that if she wanted Chloe dead, the detective would have been dead already.

She locked herself in the bathroom, took out her phone with trembling hands and selected the number.

"Decker! I thought I wouldn't hear from you again when I heard you skipped town."

Chloe jumped at the sound of Maze's familiar voice and felt the rising panic. She wasn't ready for this. Not by a long shot. She took a calming breath that, she realised, didn't actually do any calming.

"Well, _someone_ should probably be informed that when the only thing they have to vouch for them is me as a character witness, waiting with any revelations until I have proved my complete inability to judge a character and they are standing over the freshly killed body of my ex-fiancé isn't the best plan."

There were a few strange guttural noises on the other side of the line that Chloe couldn't understand, but somehow had little doubt were swearing.

"I can hit him for you if you like," the response seemed genuine but held a dangerous note that made Chloe's hair rise.

"Thanks for the offer, but we've got a bigger problem."

"Do we?"

"Much bigger, unfortunately. Let's just say that after what I've seen the mom part of me wanted to take my kid as far away as possible and the cop part of me wanted to find any unbiased evidence to support what I thought I knew, which resulted in going to another continent and spending inordinate amount of time reading in the Vatican library."

"You took _Trixie_ into the den of an institution that has _paedophilia scandals_ emerging every few months? Are you out of your _mind_ , Decker?"

Even with the knowledge that the demon was safely an ocean away the tone sent chills down Chloe's spine.

" _Trixie_ is spending her time in a hotel with a swimming pool, WiFi and more gelato than reasonable. _I_ was the one sitting in the library, going through books that did little to help my sanity."

Maze snorted. "Most of them weren't written by people with a lot of sanity to spare, so what did you expect?"

Somehow that quip sounded so _normal_ and so very much like the roommate she got to know, that what she had to say next was almost painful.

"I'm still getting to the worst part. They noticed the kind of research I was doing and approached me."

"Who is 'they'?"

"Some sort of Vatican division dealing with the Devil." Only when she was struggling to get the words out did she realise how much she avoided vocalising what she knew. As if saying it out loud made it more true.

"Don't panic, Decker. I would be more surprised if they didn't have one. I mean, they micromanage to the point of expecting people to tell them how many times they were playing with themselves in the shower and you think they _wouldn't_ delegate a few people to deal with things connected to _Lucifer_? Give me a break."

"You don't understand, Maze. It's not that there is such a group. It's that they have his current photos, the address of Lux and handed me a huge collection of circumstantial evidence against him while saying they want my help."

What followed was a long, furious string of words in the same incomprehensible language as before. Not able to understand, Chloe had little choice but wait until it finished. Finally Maze seemed to realise what she was doing.

"Listen, Decker, whatever they gave you, you can't trust it."

"I _know_ that, Maze. I'm a cop, remember? When some gift-wrapped circumstantial evidence suddenly appears, all it tells me is that someone is _very_ motivated to sell me some story. In this case, so that I would agree to help. What I want to know is _why_ would an institution having virtually unlimited workforce, a lot of resources and agencies everywhere need _me_. Normally I would assume it was to get close to him, but all it would take to get _that_ would be an attractive stranger in a clingy dress. He doesn't even have a lock on his elevator!"

There was a brief silence on the other side of the line. Finally the demon spoke.

"Because they finally have a way to hurt him."

"What?"

"I can only imagine how ecstatic they were. All those centuries of not being able to do squat and then suddenly _you_ came along."

"Hold on, Maze. What are you talking about?"

"You, Decker. The only way to switch off his invulnerability."

Chloe had to hold onto the shower door to remain upright. Suddenly the memory of Lucifer's absolute shock at being shot resurfaced. What she saw wasn't a shock that she actually discharged the weapon, was it? The way he spoke to her afterwards didn't seem to suggest it.

"Decker? Are you still there?"

"Why?" she managed eventually. "How?"

"Hell if I know. The working theory last time I checked was that your parents were praying for a child a bit too much."

"And I'm pretty sure they weren't the only ones that did."

"Seeing how the other cases had less of an opportunity to mess with Lucifer's head, those prayers weren't _quite_ as effective. There was no reason to bother."

Chloe almost dropped the phone at that. Did Maze just suggest that—no, she couldn't think about it right now. She had more than enough to deal with.

"We should warn him," she stated finally.

"You're kidding, right?"

"He has to know he is in danger."

"He's not. Like you pointed out, you made sure you're on two different continents right now. But if you do anything that might suggest you are in any state of mind other than blind panic he'll come to your side like some lost puppy, hoping you'll accept him, with no concern for his own wellbeing."

If she wasn't absolutely overwhelmed and terrified, Chloe supposed she'd have found some humour in the Lord of Hell being described in such fashion. Before the meaning behind it would _make her_ overwhelmed and terrified, of course.

"You are saying I should just stay away."

"I wish it were that simple. You're only a human and currently surrounded by potential fanatics loyal to an institution that has been blaming all the humanity's problems on Lucifer since day one and holding a grudge. I doubt they'll take no for an answer."

"I won't agree to anything," Chloe responded vehemently, some part of her suddenly realising, there was no question about it in her mind, now that she was facing some actual risk, no matter what she might have learned.

"The only thing they _need_ is your proximity and they are likely highly motivated. Religious fanatics usually are. I doubt you being drugged into insanity or lobotomised would be a problem for them."

It was an odd feeling, Chloe decided, when you realised, while talking to a demon, that the threat posed by the Devil was really the least of your problems.

"So basically, what? The only way to be sure they can't use me against him would be to off myself while still a safe distance away?" she asked bitterly and _really_ didn't like the way the demon hmmed at that.

"That's actually an interesting question," Maze finally said in a contemplative tone. "I mean, it would make sense that this is tied to your soul, not your body. If that _were_ the case, it would have a chance of working, you know. I mean, hopefully this would count as suicide, not some martyrdom, in which case you should get to Hell easily enough and I could tell you who to talk to so they would possess your body and help eliminate the threat without it posing a risk to Lucifer. With some luck, if Charlotte's case is anything to go by, provided your body was still in useable condition, you might be able to come back after they were done."

Chloe felt a bit lightheaded and tried not to think too hard about the fact that she was basically contemplating a suicide resulting in her own damnation and enabling demonic possession of her own body. No, not _enabling_. _Volunteering_ her body for the possession. If there ever was the darkest scenario for her working with the actual Devil, this was pretty close to being it, even without any need for Lucifer's actual involvement.

"Let's keep that in mind as a plan B for now, shall we?" she managed finally.

"Exactly what I was thinking. I mean, there _is_ always a chance that making Lucifer vulnerable is tied to your body, in which case we would be bringing up a demon who would know they can go after their Lord, considering he would be practically powerless in their presence, and they might feel that offence is the best defence, seeing as how he actually banned possession a couple centuries back."

The Detective closed her eyes. It seemed that what she previously thought to be the worst case scenario actually could get worse. Nice to know.

"Yes, best if we could avoid risking that," she allowed, almost hysterically. "Any ideas for a plan A then?"

"Let me think. I guess first we should get you away from them, before they realise you're unwilling to cooperate, capture you and send Trixie to some abusive convent-run boarding school to keep her from rising an alarm."

Chloe closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down a bit. An idea started taking shape in her head.

"What if they won't realise it? We still need to find out more about them and if they think I'd fall for what they came up with, they might underestimate me enough to reveal something. Wouldn't be my first undercover work."

"Except you would be going without backup against an organised group that has burned people at stake for less. Plus they don't have a history of valuing women enough to actually clue you in, even if they thought you're on their side."

"Luckily, they seem to have realised some time ago that those stakes were just bad PR. Plus _you_ would be my backup, which I value more than the best SWAT team. And I'm counting more on them letting something slip than actually sharing it with me anyway."

III

Through the sheer force of will she managed to hold it together through a few meetings with Father Kinley (and wasn't that an interesting study in brainwashing and conditioning - CIA had nothing on the Catholic Church, it seemed).

The whole time she was with the man she couldn't help a growing feeling of unease, multiplied with every member of the clergy that Kinley casually greeted or spoke to in hushed tones. She couldn't help feeling that she was being too obvious about the whole thing, desperately fortifying everything she ever learned about working undercover with her long-forgotten acting classes. Somehow, it seemed to work though and she could only hope the illusion would hold for just a bit longer, so she could actually have a chance to glean some detail from the interaction.

So far she was met with a rather spectacular lack of success. It seemed that whatever else could be said about the clergy, they certainly knew how to keep a secret. She bit her lip, lowering her head as she listened to Kinley's final instructions before her departure back to California.

"You must approach him, Chloe, give him no reason to suspect you. I know it will be hard, but it has to be that way."

Chloe felt sick. Not only because the thinking, independent part of her was protesting at such condescending tone, delivering this instruction with a blatantly false concern, but because of the growing awareness that whatever they were planning was approaching, with her still none the wiser as to the extent of the group and the scale of risk they were posing. It didn't make matters easier that she was acutely aware of the fact that getting closer to Lucifer would pose a direct threat to him.

Still, there was a chance that whatever the plan was, it was banking on her getting as close to him as possible first. She would just have to work with what she had.

"Of course," she nodded her head humbly, thankful for her acting experience. "I will need to be careful to act as I normally would, not to seem too eager. He could get suspicious otherwise."

Kinley seemed to be contemplating this for a moment.

"It _would_ be unwise to rise his suspicions. Now let us pray for you to have the strength for the task before you."

Folding her hands obediently, Chloe couldn't help but think that her current actions were probably edging suspiciously close to blasphemy, and so soon after she got a solid proof that Heaven and Hell actually existed. Still, she couldn't even point out which part of what she was doing actually counted as such.

Plus, no matter how loudly Lucifer declared he wanted nothing to do with his Father, she could really use some strength at the moment, so she would really appreciate it from any source she could get it, even if it was not for the purposes Father Kinley had in mind.

III

It was perhaps naive to think things would get easier once she was on her home turf, but she still managed to feel a bit disappointed upon discovering that it certainly wasn't the case. She retained the last shreds of composure until she dropped Trixie at Dan's but as soon as the door closed behind her daughter, she couldn't take it anymore. It was all suddenly too much and how could she be expected to handle going up against the entire church and face her own insecurities about Lucifer that still have not evaporated, by the way, when she was just one human?

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed and more than a little paranoid she didn't know herself how she ended up going to the bar they sometimes frequented with the Tribe. Coming here was probably going against the image of the misguided, meek and supplicant woman Kinley wanted to cooperate with him, but she had to calm her nerves _somehow_. Should he ask, she could probably sell him some story about wanting to maintain an image of susceptible to sin so as not to discourage the Devil. Or something.

The thought that said Devil actually resided less than half an hour from her current location and had already been subjected of plenty of discouraging from her over the time of their acquaintance led to her rapidly ordering a drink.

When somebody slipped into the seat next to her, she paid it no mind. Only when she heard a familiar voice ordering the same drink she was having, did the recognition spark. She did her best to casually turn to take a look at the person next to her. The woman had her hair dyed platinum blonde, wore tight pale blue satin dress and silver-rimmed glasses.

"Maze?" Chloe had to admit, she was wary of meeting the demon for the first time after learning that demons actually existed, but at the moment any uneasiness gave way to the sheer incredulity at what she was seeing.

"Hey, Decker. You know, you could at least buy me a drink before checking me out this obviously." the demon in question rolled her eyes.

"I almost didn't recognise you. What have you done to yourself?"

"You said the church freaks had some current photos. I made sure the description didn't match. You have no idea what pain it is to hide the knives in this getup. Speaking of being inconspicuous, I've got something for you."

Chloe didn't quite register any movement but she suddenly became aware of an added weight in her jacket pocket.

"I'm not sure what you have on right now qualifies as lying low. And what did you just-"

"It's a burner cell. Hard to tell if they haven't planted something on your regular one by now. And who said anything about lying low? We're talking about a bunch of guys sworn to celibacy. Do you really think with a dress this short they are going to look at my face?"

"Not sure if it would work on all of them."

"True." The demon shrugged. "I bet a good portion of those self-righteous, hypocritical pricks prefers those a bit more male or prepubescent, but what can you do? Still, I did the best I could to make sure they don't notice we're in contact."

"Thanks for that. Though if we're being honest, just me going here is probably more than a little suspect. After all, shouldn't a woman trying to lead a virtuous life and fight against the Devil be more meek and obedient and not frequent places like this?"

Maze snorted. "If you have them convinced you're _that,_ then while I more than understand the lure of being able to legally shoot people and beat them up, you really shouldn't have quit acting. You'd probably have an Oscar behind your belt by now." She downed her drink and gestured the barman to pour her another. "And just between the two of us, I have absolutely no idea where they got that idea from. I mean, I guess some idiots needed to make themselves feel better by subjugating someone, but if the upstairs felt that women should be _meek_ , they really messed up with the prototype. That said, back home I always loved to work on self-righteous asses who thought it was their right to dominate women. A hobby of sorts."

Right. Because she was a demon and apparently torturing souls could count as a hobby. Chloe sipped her drink trying very hard not to feel like the reality was about to bluescreen at any moment. She needed to focus.

"Did you manage to find anything so far?" she asked cautiously.

"Not yet. Just your usual bunch of freaks and stalkers sniffing around that had no connections and led nowhere. They were fun for relieving stress though. You?"

"Nothing. So far Kinley is my only point of contact and he only delivers instructions without engaging in chit-chat."

Maze swore elaborately. "We need to pick up the pace now that you're back in LA. No telling when they will want to make their move."

"I _know_. But they want me to get close to Lucifer first, so it can buy us some time. After all, it has to seem _natural_ and I'm still angry with him."

Maze snorted.

"Don't tell me you seriously fed them that line?"

"Implied it, more like it. Still, don't know how long I can keep it believable."

"So we need to get a move on. Not like we didn't know that." Maze went quiet for a moment. "Hey, Decker? How is Trix doing?"

"Considerably well, given everything. She's with Dan right now."

"You think there is any chance I could see her?"

"Not while _they_ could see. But maybe we can think of something later."

"I have some grovelling to do there, don't I?"

"Yeah, you do. She missed you though."

Maze went silent for a while before giving Chloe an unusually contemplative look. "Is it okay with you if I try to talk to her? You know, given everything?"

Chloe sighed. "Listen, Maze. After that thing with Malcolm, I spent more than one sleepless night worrying how to keep my daughter safe and knowing that I just _can't_. Not really. In that context, knowing there is someone who can literally give anyone wanting to harm her a taste of hell is more of a relief than anything else."

"I'll drink to that," Maze announced, throwing back her drink and getting up. "I need to run but I'll think of a way to talk again. Don't worry, I'll find you."

Somehow, Chloe felt knowing a demon could track you should sound more ominous. It didn't.

"Sure. And Maze? Seriously, what's with the glasses?"

"It's not like Linda is going to miss them."

A moment later the demon disappeared in the crowd.

III

Chloe was a nervous wreck. There was really no other way to put it. It was actually _worse_ that the whole setting was so familiar. As if it was inviting her to slip comfortably back into the work routine and their partnership, working whatever problems there remained as they went along.

No such luck. Taking a deep breath she strode purposefully to the crime scene, looking ahead, making sure she was focussing on the overturned beehives rather than the Devil himself, standing there, talking with Dan.

 _Keep your distance. Don't get too close_.

Repeating the words like a mantra in her head, she greeted Lucifer briefly and went to work.

III

She supposed she shouldn't have counted it as particularly surprising, that Lucifer waited for the first moment she was relatively alone to approach her.

"Detective," he started uncertainly and she didn't even need to fake the discomfort at the idea of the Lord of Hell addressing _her_ with such caution. "Are you all right?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why wouldn't I be? Busy with the case though, if you didn't notice."

He visibly had no idea what to make of her reaction.

"The last time you saw me-" he tried hesitantly.

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Oh, _now_ you want to talk about it? Just for the record - lying by omission is, as far as I'm concerned, still lying and there should be your picture next to the definition of wrong timing."

Even if she was overplaying the part significantly, Chloe couldn't deny that saying that to his face was therapeutic in a way.

"In my defence, I _did_ try to tell you."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were trying so _very_ hard." Sarcasm was dripping from her voice. "It's not like you had any way to actually prove it. You know, like changing the way you look or something. Because it would be so horrible to have someone who needs to trust her partner with her life to be on the same page, right?"

"You have to admit, Detective, it's not an easy subject to broach. I was trying to find the right time."

"Were you? And you couldn't think of even one instance? If you ask me, just as a random example, the time I had to make a laughing stock out of myself by putting a BOLO _for actual angel wings,_ while my reputation was already suffering from the Palmetto case, wouldn't have been a bad choice. Might have even made me think you trusted me or something."

"I _do_ trust you, Detective."

"Really? Could have fooled me. Listen, I have a case to go back to and would hate to make a sloppy job of it after such a long break."

"Will you at least allow me to still work with you?" She would never admit to the way her heart almost broke at the look in his eyes as he asked the question. She could remind herself of who he was all she wanted but she _knew_ Lucifer enough to recognise him hiding emotional pain.

"If you must. Not like I can stop you." Seeing an absolutely devastated expression flashing on his face for a second, she couldn't help but amend that. "You know, with you still technically being my partner and such."

A smile appearing on his face made her realise she miscalculated. At this rate she would never manage to make the remaining distance between them seem natural.

"As long as we keep it strictly professional," she added hastily.

The smile vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"If that's what you desire, Detective."

III

Watching Lucifer as they worked the ex-mobster-turned-beekeeper case was hard. Not to mention overwhelming. While there was something to be said about slipping into an old routine, in the back of her head remained a warning light, alerting her not to allow herself to get too close. At the same time, Lucifer was- well, breaking the rules of reality was probably the best way to describe it. Whether it was giddiness stemming from not needing to hide anymore, conscious attempt not to hide anything from her or trying to prove his usefulness could be anyone's guess.

By the end of the day Chloe felt she was developing a headache from witnessing a few too many humanly impossible feats. Or maybe it was from trying to ignore the impossibly broad hints from Lucifer about accepting him again? Could be either way, really.

The fact remained that he wanted to get closer to her again and was pretty obvious about being willing to do anything to make that possible. At this rate, she would have no excuse to stay away and would have to face whatever the church wanted her to do.

This thought was enough to cost her a sleepless night.

III

Poison.

Kinley expected her to poison someone who trusted her implicitly, despite his numerous issues, and it was _Lucifer_ who was supposed to be the bad guy? Come to think of it, wasn't it the church that was always most insistent on paining him as a monster?

Chloe poured herself a glass of vodka she found in the kitchen cabinet (very likely left there by a certain demon in a show of support). Then, thinking better of it, poured in into the sink and went to make herself some herbal tea.

Of course, nobody said Lucifer was perfect. He would _probably_ even admit as much himself. He might be no angel but- She blinked. Oh. But he was, wasn't he? That was an interesting thought. Speaking of angels, Amenadiel was one as well then, right? Actual angel, not a fallen one. Her mind switched to a standby for a second as she tried to process that thought. Okay, so that was apparently real. The bottle of vodka started beckoning again. The point was, that while the two brothers didn't exactly see eye to eye on a number of things, she never witnessed open antagonism on the level displayed by humans and in the context, the latter were decidedly the less informed ones.

Nevertheless. Poison. How could anyone expect her to-

"You look like hell. Trust me, I'd know," she heard Maze's voice coming from a corner that she could swear was empty a second ago. She suddenly felt she had a pretty good idea how the demon's bounties felt.

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment," she shot back, rolling her eyes.

"Seriously, Decker. Have you seen yourself? I could drop my human disguise and it would still be _you_ people recoiled from."

Chloe allowed herself to take the offered bait.

"Human disguise?"

"Sure," the demon pulled out her phone and tapped it a few times.

In her pocket, Chloe could feel the burner cell buzzing. She fished it out to see Maze sent her a picture of herself and Trixie, in Halloween getup. She blinked, a realisation sinking in. Maze's face wasn't a costume, was it?

"From the time we went trick-or-treating," Maze supplied unnecessarily.

"You let Trixie see you like _this_?"

"Sure, she thought it was cool. Now, ready to tell me what got you into such state?"

Chloe sat heavily on her couch.

"Kinley gave me instructions. He wants me to poison Lucifer."

"That's good."

" _Good?_ Maze!"

"Sure. It's perfect. I mean, in comparison to employing a sniper to take him out when you are close or expecting you to be a suicide bomber. You _are_ the one they want to do it, but with the method of choice you need a good opportunity. You have a chance to delay and buy us some time while they could make a move and expose themselves."

"I don't think Kinley wants to wait long. Too much delay and he is going to suspect something."

"But you still need an opportunity, right? It's not like you can poison his drink when he always has his flask on him. So you'd just need to wait for a proper setting. Kinley can't blame you for that, can he?"

"I suppose not." Chloe drafted quickly some scenarios in her mind. "I guess if I act off-putting enough Lucifer won't want to give me an opportunity."

"You've got yourself a bit of a problem there, Decker. You know Lucifer, right? I don't think you could discourage him if you tried."

"Oh, I am going to try, you'll see. I think I'm going to play the obnoxious girlfriend angle. You know, trying to 'fix the bad boy'"

"That sounded like a premise for a romcom no one would watch. You want to put him off or make him suspect you have brain damage?"

"Well, what do you propose? If I start lecturing him all the time on stepping away from all the vices and helping charities, he might at least want to wait until I'm over it."

"Seriously? If you recall, he already _did_ the charity thing some time back. Your influence, I'm sure."

"How about helping in a soup kitchen then? To prove he can actually do good? Telling him to quit the booze and consider a more virtuous path?"

Maze cackled. There was really no other word to describe it. "I'll just _have to_ see that. And after this is over, we need to sit down with a drink and work on new ideas for hell loops. You're better than half of the Lillim."

Chloe had to assume this was a compliment.

"I'll take your word for it. But we need to step it up when it comes to figuring out Kinley's network. Any luck on that front?"

"I checked his calls to and from Europe. Unless he has some other means of communicating, there isn't as much of it as you'd think."

"He might not be using his phone, you know."

"Who do you take me for? I trailed him for a week, checked any place where he could have access to a phone or a computer. Had a guy I know hack them for a list of calls. I should have all his emails by tomorrow."

Chloe blinked. "I don't even want to think how many times over is this inadmissible."

"Who cares? It's supposed to be _informative_ , right? I can only pity the losers who need to care about anything else."

"We manage the best we can. Any idea if he could be meeting with someone?"

"If he is, it's nothing too obvious. I didn't want to put a trace on him in case it tipped him off. The week I trailed him, I checked any potential drop box but it was a dead end."

"So we have nothing to go on."

"I didn't say that. I'll try to comb through the potential local contacts but a couple of times he had access to a church landline. Figuring that assortment out can take a while."

"Hence, I need to play for time."

"Exactly."

III

Chloe supposed she could say she got what she wanted, as she was forced to avert her eyes from the look of betrayal painted on Lucifer's face. Her heart was breaking and the only consolation she could find was that at least there was a chance that Lucifer would be safe now, not wanting anything to do with her anymore.

Her burner cell buzzed in her pocket, offering a brief distraction. She fished it out, trying to do so as surreptitiously as possible given that she was in the open, and read a text from Maze.

'Connection to Vatican a bust. Limited local links. Possible loose cannon? vigilante? In the process of getting the name of his contact.'

She felt her heart plummeting in her chest at reading the words. It couldn't be possible, could it? Not with him operating so freely in the open in Vatican. Of course, a treacherous part of her mind supplied, he never _did_ anything suspicious in view of anyone and being a low ranking priest was probably the best way to fade into the background there.

But that would mean the danger was actually containable and she actually could come clean to Lucifer and try to mend- she glanced back at him and registered his expression. That would have meant she could have come clean, if she knew as much some time ago.

Before she could think of anything to say, her regular cell rung. She glanced at Dan's ID and picked up, hoping to quickly end the call and try to get the situation under some semblance of control. As he was giving her information about the identity of the case suspect, her other cell buzzed again with another text from Maze, providing her a name matching what she was learning from Dan.

Something was off here and for once it wasn't the curious timing implying the cooperation between the two.

III

"You need to be careful when we get there. Don't let your anger cloud your judgement." Chloe winced at the way it sounded when said out loud.

"Are you suggesting, Detective, that I may have some reason to be angry on behalf of the victims? Possibly because of knowing firsthand how it feels to be betrayed by someone you trusted? To have shown them your darker side only for them to stab you in the back?"

She couldn't deny his bitter words hit close to home.

"It's not like that. I'm trying to protect you here. There is something fishy about the whole situation."

"I can assure you, Detective, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. You need not concern yourself with me."

"Please, Lucifer. If we could just talk this out-"

"We had plenty of time to do that. I don't recall hearing much truth from you when we did."

"Lucifer-" Unfortunately for her, they have already arrived at the suspect's home and he exited the car without waiting to hear what she had to say. Not that she had any good idea what she could say at this point. She quickly followed suit only to see him already halfway to the door. "Lucifer, wait!"

She supposed it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that in current mindset he did not listen to her plea. She sprinted to the back of the house hoping to find another entrance.

III

Maze rapped on the door and entered without waiting for a reply.

"Decker, you in there?"

"Yeah, back here," Chloe replied from the living room, much more quietly than expected, not bothering to get up.

"Got your text. Are we celebrating catching the bastard?" The demon asked, seeing a bottle of scotch on the table. Without asking, she poured herself a glass.

"Not much to celebrate." Chloe was swirling the liquid in her glass.

"You arrested him, right? That's what your text said."

The detective nodded.

"Put him in a cell with some bikers. And I might have mentioned something to lead them to believe he was there for molesting minors."

Maze snorted. "Good riddance."

"Says you. It was impulsive, unprofessional, completely unethical-"

"And well deserved."

"Is something still deserved if someone brainwashed themselves into a complete obsession?"

"Yeah. It is. Speaking from a position of an expert here. It's the least he deserves and the rest is coming as soon as he kicks the bucket," the demon assured her gleefully.

Chloe closed her eyes, trying to fend off the implications.

"I was probably acting out because he cost me everything." She emptied her glass and poured herself another.

"That's hardly the case. You caught him in time."

"And Lucifer will likely never speak to me again."

Maze rolled her eyes.

"I doubt it. I stabbed him in the back more times than I can count. He gets mad and then everything goes back to normal, trust me."

"No. You are… well, you. And this was me. It wasn't like that, this time. You haven't seen him. I didn't think he could ever look this betrayed. He will _never_ forgive me."

"Forgive you? What for? You did that for him."

"And I thought of how I could tell him that. Frankly, everything sounds like a cheap excuse. He'll never believe me."

"He will. It's _you_ we are talking about."

"And it's _him_. Or are you telling me that he is trusting and forgiving all of the sudden? No doubt because of all the positive reinforcement he'd been getting for centuries." She emptied another glass. "It's all my fault. I should have played it better."

"When it comes to you, he'll come around," the demon said unconvincingly, knocking her drink back, refilling the glass, then taking the other glass from the Detective's hand and pouring her another drink.

"You didn't see the way he looked at me. I've ruined it." Chloe took a big sip.

"I doubt it."

"I should have thought harder about finding a solution. Or told him what was going on once I was back."

Maze rolled her eyes. "And tipped your hand?"

"He could have played along if he knew what was going on."

"Oh yeah, that's likely. Lucifer lying to keep your cover instead of just confronting the priest and ruining everything."

"At least maybe we would have saved those people killed to provoke him." Miserably, she finished another drink, her voice slurring slightly.

"At that point we didn't even know what we were dealing with."

"Still, if I told him—" Maze caught the glass as it was slipping out from Chloe's fingers and set it on the table, picking the passed out Detective up.

III

Maze used the employee's entrance and moved to the elevator at a speed that would be highly improbable for human carrying a grown adult, had anyone bothered to pay attention. She didn't need to wait long and a moment later she was already stepping out of the car and into Lucifer's condo.

The sound of sombre piano music was filling the place and the air was thick with cigarette smoke. Lucifer was sitting at his piano, looking dishevelled. It took him a moment to acknowledge anyone had entered.

When he did, it took him one glance at Chloe's limp form as Maze was settling her on the coach to get him to his feet.

"What happened?" he asked immediately, reaching them in a few strides.

"She let a demon fix her a drink," Maze quipped, only to find herself thrown at the nearby wall, pinned there, with her lord's fiery stare fixed on her.

"Mazikeen, if you did anything—"

"Relax, she's fine. I just slipped a sleeping pill into her drink. She was approaching the level of self-torment that was getting me genuinely homesick."

"If you believe that excuses you—" He released her, but there was a distinct warning in his voice

"What I believe is that you both need to talk and this was the quickest way I could think of getting you to do that. By the way, do you know that as a bounty hunter you develop a few odd habits? Like recording all your phone calls in case you need to reference them later?"

"I'm not interested in listening to any of your excuses, Maze."

"Fine, I'll just put something in that overpriced sound system you've got here and then I'll be out of your hair."

The demon quickly slipped a memory stick into the player and marched towards the waiting elevator. As she was stepping in, the first words of the conversation started playing. She noted with some satisfaction that Lucifer didn't try to stop her, too busy standing guard over the Detective.

Who knew she could get this good at this being a friend thing?

III

Lucifer was relatively certain that if it wasn't for the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that settled in him after revealing the Detective's deception, he would have torn the demon to shreds for her cheek. As it was, he simply directed his steps to the couch where Mazikeen had placed the one person he allowed himself foolishly to let into his heart.

It was all for naught now. But what else had he expected, really? How could someone like her be expected to-

He broke off, paying closer attention to the recording Maze placed in the player as soon as he heard the Detective's voice. He stilled, listening.

Given what he was hearing, it took him no time to place the conversation as taking place after Chloe's departure, the edge in her tone painfully reminding him of just how much he'd put her through. Then, as the recording went on, he found himself helplessly folding his hands into fists, stepping closer to the Detective's unconscious form, needing the physical reminder that she was safe.

Even as the conversation had played out, the sound system having long switched to standby, he couldn't bring himself to move from the spot.

After what had to be a few _hours_ (in which he made a firm resolution to admonish Maze in the only way a demon could properly understand), Chloe finally stirred minutely, making a pained noise that could be associated with a nasty hangover.

"Chloe?" He asked in a low tone, not wanting to exacerbate her current condition.

She seemed disoriented at first, which was rather understandable, given that the last location she probably remembered was wherever Maze decided to drug her, before dragging her here. Finally, her eyes seemed to focus on him, widening as soon as they did.

"Lucifer," she whispered, before tears appeared in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

The litany of apologies went on and he took a horrified step back. He knew this reaction. The desperate pleading of someone terrified and bereft of any hope. This was the way sinners usually reacted to seeing his devil face and it was something he would sooner have run himself through with Azrael's blade than wish on Chloe. Why would this be happening _now_? It had been _weeks_ since she saw him in that form and despite their argument, she was still fine when he saw her earlier. Could it be that all the events finally came crashing down on her, destroying the admittedly formidable barrier she had protecting her mind from his influence?

"Detective?" he addressed her again, desperately, crouching in front of her to appear less threatening, trying to meet her eyes, as her apologies died down to a whisper interspersed with sobs. "Please, darling, try to focus. You know I'd never harm you, don't you? You _know_ me enough to know you have nothing to fear from me."

She was shaking her head but he had hard time telling if it was to deny the truth of his words or simply signifying she couldn't process anything said to her at the moment. Then, in a move he would have never expected, she launched herself from her position and buried her face in his shirt, the tears still rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry I ruined everything."

Relief washed through him as he gathered her in his arms. Right then he was even prepared to offer words of gratitude to his Father, even if that particular reaction was rather short-lived. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit forcefully. Speaking of-

"I wouldn't go that far, Detective. The only relationship of mine I consider definitively ruined is that with my Father and much as I admire your ambition, He is a tough act to follow."

She sagged in his arms, not longer shaking with sobs. He could only hope that meant she was recovering and not that she wore herself out completely.

"Still, I am sorry for everything." Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry I put you in such position. I'm sorry I ran. I guess it served me right for falling for someone for whom I can only be- well, a mayfly seems like a generous comparison at this point and then panicking when it all dawned on me. It's not like you haven't told me. I was angry with you, but that's on me, really."

"No," he said firmly, interrupting her speech, wherever she was trying to take it. "Whatever else you believe, please know this - I care for you more than I ever have for anyone else. I know with everything that happened you might be disinclined to believe me, but I told you the truth about how I felt and while I fully acknowledge my Father's cruelty in the short time we are given together, it doesn't make my feelings for you any less genuine."

She drew in a shaky breath.

"I still feel like I should apologise for what I put you through over the last few days. Or weeks, if we count the time I was away."

"Please don't." After the brief terror of suspecting her broken with his power, Lucifer decided he would be glad never to hear her be sorry for anything again. "There is nothing to apologise for. And if I ever missed feeling the level of despair you were displaying before, I'd make a quick trip to Hell to remind myself that there is nothing to be nostalgic about."

She laughed briefly. "I doubt I was _that_ bad."

"Maze mentioned you were getting her to feel homesick. After witnessing a sample, I find that comparison surprisingly accurate. I don't want you to _ever_ feel like that again." He said earnestly before grinning at her. "And speaking of making sure you're not miserable, have you decided on a way to deal with your hangover? Your usual triple espresso?"

Chloe stared at him for a long moment in something akin to disbelief. Then, apparently coming to some decision, she nodded.

"Espresso would be great, thanks."

III

Chloe supposed she would have once said that, after drinking her espresso, fortified with some painkillers a while later, she was beginning to feel a bit more human again. Of course that was back when she wasn't painfully aware of the fact that _that_ descriptor should be actually taken quite literally and wasn't by any means the only option.

She was still at Lucifer's, sitting on the couch, sipping water and staring unseeingly in the distance.

"I honestly don't know what to do," she finally confessed. "Before, with Kinley's threat, I at least had something to _do_ to take my mind off things. Now I just- This is so much more than I bargained for."

Lucifer entered her field of vision, taking the spot next to her. She wondered if trying not to tower over her was a conscious decision on his part, but she was grateful for anything that made her feel marginally more in control.

"I can only imagine learning what you did was quite overwhelming," he stated in a way that made her think he was quoting something. Or someone.

She snorted.

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one."

"Yes, Linda made a point of explaining that to me at length. To be honest, she made a better argument than all Dad's droning about the need for angels to keep the divine hidden from the mortal world."

Chloe blinked as she analysed what she just heard.

"Wait, Linda _knows_?"

"For a while now, yes. Maze didn't tell you? She took it rather well, all things considered, but the process was still concerning enough that I was reluctant to put you through that. To be honest, I was hoping to find a way of easing you into this."

She rolled her eyes.

"Marvellous job doing that, by the way. At least that means there is someone I can talk this through with. Which _you_ are paying for, since it's all your fault anyway."

"Wouldn't have it any other way. You might need to hurry securing some sessions with her, before she takes a maternity leave."

"Linda's pregnant? I guess I _was_ out of the loop for a bit."

"The development is actually quite recent and a surprise all round. After the storm Dad kicked up over the nephilim and the declarations they could never be created again, nobody seemed to notice that He quietly backed out of that when He decided to have a half-human offspring Himself. Linda and Amenadiel found out the hard way."

Chloe massaged her temples. Apparently this was her life now.

"Detective? Are you all right?"

"I'm trying to get there. Can't say the current topic is helping."

"Yes, as lovely as Linda is in bed, I don't particularly want to think of her making an offspring with my brother either."

"Glad we're in agreement then."

For a while they sat in silence. Then Lucifer spoke again, a strange edge to his voice.

"I will deny it if he ever hears about it, but I envy him that, you know."

"What, sleeping with Linda?"

He chuckled humourlessly for a second.

"Already done that, if you recall. The time. He might have settled on Earth for now, but he is free to plan the eternity with those he loves. Excluding a fate I would never wish on someone I care about, I can never have that. Just a finite, abhorrently short time here on Earth, nothing more."

For the first time it occurred to Chloe that it might not be _her_ who got the short end of the stick in this setting.

"And there is nothing you can do about it, is there?"

"Just to confirm the obvious, Detective, no, there is not. Remember what I said about the irrevocably ruined relationship with my Dad?"

Reluctantly, Chloe took his hand and was surprised at the desperation with which he welcomed the gesture.

She closed her eyes, trying to do a quick inventory of her feelings. There was no denying that she was overwhelmed and lost in the face of the new reality she was now aware of, but that wouldn't change no matter what she decided. And she couldn't deny the feelings she had developed for Lucifer. Would there even be a point in denying them now? Admitting to them could at the very least mean they would possibly have a chance to build some happy memories to treasure when they were inevitably separated.

"Then I guess there is nothing to do but make every moment count while there still is time."

He looked at her in surprise.

"Do you mean that, Detective?"

"Unless you have some better action plan in mind."

He grinned, the stormy thoughts chased away from his eyes.

"In that case, I believe I still owe you a date from before everything went to- well, you know."

She couldn't help but respond with a smile of her own.

"Yes, I believe you do. I hope you are going to do something about it?"

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews will be appreciated.
> 
> A/N: As I'm posting this, another season is on the horizon. While I'm probably not the only one who wishes for more every time a season ends, when it comes to my favourite shows I'm also dreading it, fearing the next season will come with the seasonal rot, bringing amnesias, evil twins, impostors, long-lost family members nobody thought to mention previously and the general assortment of trying-too-hard clichés that end up spoiling the memories of the entire show. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this won't be the case. At least, judging by the trailer, they don't have an amnesia plot planned. 
> 
> A/N2: I'm used to working with a beta but, regretfully, I don't currently have one. Please excuse any narrative blunders and let me know if you came across any glaring mistakes.


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